It's a Small World

"I understand. There are many ways to compare. Comparing income is the simplest. If you can't compete in income, you compare social status. If you can't compete in social status, you compare future potential and development. If you can't compete in future potential, you compare lifestyle. If you can't compete in lifestyle, then you can only talk about life ideals, or simply avoid meeting each other."

Si Ming has been through this before; isn't this the typical pattern at class reunions?

Close friends in a small circle naturally don't care about such things, but when it comes to large class reunions, a competitive spirit inevitably arises. Not to mention outshining everyone else, at least they can't let others look down on them. If they are really struggling financially, they might as well not attend the reunion and embarrass themselves.

Yao Bilian snorted, "You talk like you have a lot of experience. Anyway, it's settled then. Either you dress up and come out to meet the guests, or you obediently hide in your room and play dead. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be executed without mercy!"

Yao Bilian said she wouldn't compare herself to others, but she was actually very concerned about saving face. In the afternoon, she dragged Si Ming to the mall and splurged on a bunch of high-end ingredients, including five four-headed abalones, all of which were left to Lu Mao to prepare.

The term "heads" for abalone originates from its weight, specifically how many abalone are weighed per pound. Two abalone per pound are called "double-headed abalone," which is the highest grade and extremely rare. Three abalone per pound are called "three-headed abalone," which is the next highest grade and is also very expensive. Four abalone per pound are called "four-headed abalone," and so on.

This might not give you a clear picture, but a simple comparison will make it clear. When an ordinary family holds a banquet, the abalone served is usually 30-head abalone, which is a full 29 levels lower than the top-grade abalone. In the world of cultivation, that's the difference between the Nascent Soul Realm Divine Ability expert and a Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

With dinner time fast approaching, Yao Bilian quickly went to the kitchen to check for any oversights.

"Is this caviar?"

She picked up the spoon, took a bite, and immediately gave a disgusted look. "Ugh, it's awful, so salty and fishy!"

Si Ming asked curiously, "Don't you feel that 'the texture is elastic and delicate, and the moment you crush the plump caviar with your palate, the extremely delicious juice bursts in your mouth, with a faint fresh sea flavor between your lips and teeth, not very salty, but with a sweet aftertaste'?"

"Absolutely not."

Si Ming glanced at the whole jar of premium caviar on the table and gave a helpless look. "Okay, I also think it's too salty and fishy. I don't know why anyone would like it so much."

This stuff looks pretty good; the grains are whole, plump, and without any dents. The color is clear and transparent, with a slight gray or brown tinge in the black. If you look closely, it even has a slight golden sheen. A small bottle cost five thousand.

It is said that the higher the grade of caviar, the higher the fat content and the lower the salt content, resulting in a more delicate and refreshing flavor. However, Si Ming couldn't taste any difference and thought it wasn't as good as the roe of ordinary river fish after cooking. When he was a child, his parents tricked him into thinking that eating fish roe would make him unable to do math, which made him develop a fondness for fish roe.

Some people might find this delicious, but Si Ming couldn't get used to it at all, so he had to introduce the next few dishes, including foie gras, bear paw, deer antler, rhinoceros nose, camel hump, civet cat, leopard fetus, lion milk, and monkey brain.

During the tasting, Yao Bilian's expression was very subtle. Although the dishes were not bad, they were not as delicious as she had imagined. She even thought they were not as good as the roast suckling pig she had the night before. However, when she ate the last dish, her expression suddenly changed.

"Hmm? Hmm! Hmm—this is delicious! The sauce is rich and flavorful, the meat is tender and juicy, light and delicate, it melts in your mouth, it's so delicious! What is this thing that can taste so good, far surpassing bear paws, deer antlers, rhinoceros noses, camel humps, and civet cats! I'd believe it if you told me it was dragon meat!"

After taking a bite, Yao Bilian revealed an expression of complete absorption, as if she were floating on air, completely enveloped by some unseen fragrance.

Si Ming glanced at the dish, Anomalies expression on his face, and said, "This is honey-glazed braised pork."

"Braised pork? What kind of pork?" Yao Bilian asked.

"Pork."

"Is it a special breed of miniature pig raised in the high-altitude region?"

"It's just a regular Agricultural School pig."

"That's definitely the king honey from Shennong Forest."

"It's leftover honey from roasting suckling pig the day before yesterday; it's twenty yuan a bottle."

"..."

Yao Bilian turned her gaze to Lu Mao, who was in charge of cooking.

Lu Mao could only explain, "The price of ingredients is related to their rarity, not their taste. For example, with the cheapest tofu, I can create eighty-one different dishes, ensuring each one has a unique flavor. But with bird's nest, I only have one way of cooking it. Moreover, I don't use high-end ingredients often, so I lack experience in handling them. Schools don't spend money to buy such things for students to practice with, so I can only rely on my intuition. But with common ingredients like pork, I can cook them with my eyes closed, controlling the heat just by touch. In the end, I'm better at cooking common dishes."

Yao Bilian picked up another piece of braised pork with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth to taste. Although she tried her best to keep a straight face, she still showed an expression of lingering enjoyment.

Once the aftertaste had subsided, she immediately tightened her expression and criticized, "This dish must be removed! Today I'm preparing a high-class feast. If I serve something cheap and delicious like this, wouldn't it make the caviar and foie gras seem expensive and awful? I spend so much money on such high-end ingredients just to show off, and you serve such delicious braised pork? Doesn't that make me look like a complete idiot for buying such expensive ingredients? This is blatant mockery! This dish absolutely cannot be served!"

Si Ming, "If you're not going to sit at the table, then stay in the kitchen. I can take care of it."

"That's good. Remember to leave some for me... Oh, and whatever else is cheap and delicious, remove it all. Absolutely no food should be served. Remember, today's meal isn't about taste, it's about style!" Yao Bilian reminded her.

Lu Mao was quite helpless. As a chef who pursues delicious food, this was the first time he had encountered such a demand: not that it tastes good, but that it costs a lot of money.

Born into a humble background, he had learned quite a few methods for processing and preparing ingredients, enough to make ordinary, inexpensive ingredients taste as delicious as high-end ones, but unfortunately, he had no use for them at all.

As a chef from humble beginnings, his ambition is to transcend the limitations of ingredients and allow more people to taste top-notch cuisine. In his eyes, those chefs who rely solely on high-end ingredients to highlight deliciousness are nothing more than a group of people who have gone astray.

If Yao Bilian weren't an acquaintance, he really wouldn't have wanted to cook this meal.

Just then, Murong Wu rushed in and announced, "A guest has arrived! I saw a woman walking towards our courtyard."

"Isn't that woman carrying a big sword? She looks very strong."

"Um."

"Is he handsome with delicate features and a broad back and thick waist?"

"This... I didn't see it clearly, shall I go check again?"

"No need, it should be her. I'll go to the door to meet her. You all get ready and don't cause any trouble. When the dishes are served, remember to bring them out one by one in order, and don't get them mixed up."

After saying that, Yao Bilian quickly walked towards the entrance.

Chapter 216 What a Small World

Yao Bilian's classmate was invited into the house. Si Ming glanced at her and found that she was indeed unusually strong for a woman, but not to the extent that Yao Bilian described as "delicate features and a broad back and thick waist". At most, she was at the level of a female fitness team member.

He has short, neat hair, slightly thick thighs, and clearly defined muscles in his arms, but it's still within acceptable limits. It's not in the style of Hong Kong comics, nor is it the inhuman structure of "Li Goudan".

She was about 1.75 meters tall, which was more than the average height for a woman, but in this world where Bone Augmentation Technique existed, it was not uncommon. She carried a large sword on her back, which was not kept in a sword box like Yan Jinghong's, but wrapped in white cloth, revealing her generous and unpretentious personality.

Si Ming vaguely felt that the other person's face was somewhat familiar, as if it resembled someone he knew, but he couldn't remember who it was for a moment.